"Developed stomach pain and diarrhea after drinking Compose Zero Sugar beverage"… The trap of 'zero-calorie syndrome' [Taste Expert X File]

Oh... Since only half of my pancreas remains, I suppose.

You can develop diabetes at twice the speed of others.

I'm trying to be as careful as possible with my sugar intake, but these days, there are many zero-sugar substitutes and alternative sweeteners available.

I have been paying close attention to those...

It's not good just because it's zero calories...

Alcoholic drink!!!!... ㅠㅠ

I realize once again the importance of properly checking and being mindful of everything I consume.

Not only is zero calories important, but sugar alcohols are also important!!

Everyone.. Please check the carbohydrate and alcohol content of zero-calorie products before consuming!!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Early termination of sales for three types of Compose Coffee Zero Sugar drinks
Lotte Jokebox marked with 'Caution' even at 0kcal
Abdominal pain caused by excessive alcohol consumption

Editor's Note [Taste Expert X File] uncovers the misconceptions and truths about food.

About ten years ago, a college friend who was obsessed with dieting once suffered from indigestion. The problem was that every time he was hungry, he would eat 'Anytime,' a snack that was popular at the time from Lotte Confectionery (now Lotte Well Food). Instead of sugar, Anytime contained xylitol. I found out that consuming too much xylitol can cause stomach upset.

Compose Coffee Zero Sugar Drinks, 3 Types

The long-forgotten memories that I had been neglecting have recently been revived thanks to Compose Coffee, which suddenly discontinued its zero drinks. Compose Coffee announced the early termination of three zero drinks—Zero Sugar Peach Iced Tea, Zero Sugar Chamomile Refresh, and Zero Sugar Green Grape Green Tea—that were launched as summer season limited menus on the 28th of last month. Since sales began on June 20th, they discontinued the products after only 8 days. Compose Coffee plans to remove the sales button from the kiosk once all the stock at franchise locations is exhausted.

The reason for discontinuation was due to some consumers' complaints of "abdominal pain." After reviews on Naver blogs and cafes reported experiencing stomach pain and diarrhea after drinking Compose Coffee's Zero Iced Tea, the company decided to stop sales. Currently, the three zero beverages are no longer available on Compose Coffee's official website menu. Compose Coffee confirmed through the manufacturer that there were no issues with the ingredients, but explained that this decision was made considering the brand image.

What is the common point among the repeated stomachaches? It is that all the products consumed contained 'sugar alcohol'. Sugar alcohol, a food additive, is a sweetener that provides a refreshing sweetness. Contrary to its name, it does not contain alcohol. There are various types, including xylitol found in Anytime, and erythritol, which is included in three types of Compose Coffee zero drinks. Other examples include lactitol, mannitol, maltitol, sorbitol, isomalt, and polyglycitol syrup.

Sugar alcohols have lower sweetness and fewer calories than sugar, and they are highly hygroscopic, so they are used in various places more than expected. They are used in snacks, soju, soy sauce, chocolate, gum, candy, ice cream, beverages... They are also used to keep bread and frozen foods dry. In fact, since they are used in many different products, sugar alcohols themselves are not problematic. However, excessive consumption can cause issues. Therefore, products that primarily contain sugar alcohols as ingredients must clearly specify the type and amount of sugar alcohols on the ingredient list.

For adults, the daily alcohol intake is limited to a range of 30g to 50g. However, for consumers with sensitive intestines, the safe intake range would be even lower. Let's take a look at the ingredient labels of the three Compose Coffee zero drinks. The zero-sugar peach iced tea contains 12.86g of erythritol, the zero-sugar chamomile refresher contains 9.25g, and the zero-sugar green grape green tea contains 7.43g. In particular, I think I understand why many consumers experienced abdominal pain after drinking the iced tea.

The issue of abdominal pain is causing concern in the food industry, which fears it may dampen the popularity of the zero-calorie trend. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the zero-food trend is Lotte Well Food. The zero-calorie Jaws Bar and Screw Bar, launched last April, sold 7.2 million units in just one month and are now approaching 20 million units sold in three months. Recently, Lotte Well Food also released a zero-calorie Watermelon Bar, but this time they added a new warning label: "Excessive consumption may cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc." This warning was not present on the Jaws Bar and Screw Bar zero-calorie products. Since these products use allulose as a substitute sweetener instead of sugar alcohols, the warning was not mandatory. However, starting from mid-month, the same warning will be included on the newly produced Jaws Bar and Screw Bar zero-calorie products as well. This appears to be a proactive response to the increasing reports of consumers experiencing abdominal pain after consuming zero-calorie products.

There is a sweet 0kcal in this world. When zero-calorie drinks and ice desserts first came out, I really thought the world had become a better place. Especially for dieters or consumers who need to manage blood sugar, they must have rejoiced. However, zero isn't a perfect solution. This was once again confirmed through recent debates about stomach pain. I recommend that you carefully consider your digestive health and check the sugar alcohol content before purchasing the product.

Im On-yu Reporter ioy@asiae.co.kr

Health Food & Folk Remedies

"Developed stomach pain and diarrhea after drinking Compose Zero Sugar beverage"… The trap of 'zero-calorie syndrome' [Taste Expert X File]